Prof Taher Murder: Home sits on approval for pressing charges, 3 accused move to withdraw judicial confession

Staff Correspondent, Rajshahi

With home ministry delaying its approval for pressing charges in Prof Dr S Taher Ahmed murder case, three of the arrested accused have submitted prayers to court to withdraw their confessional judicial statements given earlier.

Detective Branch (DB) of police said they completed the investigations and reported to the home ministry on May 10 for pressing charges against five people including Taher's colleague Prof Mia Md Mohiuddin and RU Shibir President Mahbub Alam Salehi.

"Home ministry's approval is essential as the case is listed as one of the sensational cases under the ministry's monitoring cell," explained a police source adding that charges would be pressed soon after getting the clearance.

On Monday, a metropolitan magistrate (MM) court in Rajshahi recorded the withdrawal prayers of the three accused -- Taher's house caretaker Jahangir Alam, his brother Abdus Salam and their relative Nazmul Hossain.

The three in separate judicial statements had earlier told that Mohiuddin and Salehi masterminded the murder for academic gains.

Salehi is absconding while the rest are in custody.

Meanwhile, another MM court also asked the Rajshahi Central Jail authorities to arrange for Jahangir to attend the next SSC examinations from jail following his prayer.

PRAYERS OF THE ACCUSED
On June 19, the accused sent similar separate letters of prayer to court through Rajshahi Central Jail authorities claiming that they were forced to confess through police torture.

"I myself do not know what I told in confession to be saved from police...all what I told in the judicial statement was taught by police," read a prayer.

On May 9, investigation officer (IO) of the case DB Sub-Inspector Ahsanul Kabir met Jahangir and Mohiuddin at the jail gate.

Lawyers and police officials, however, opined that the withdrawal prayers are to matter little as those confessions were made only before the magistrates with enough time to think beforehand.

They informed, Mohiuddin and the killers were denied bail from the High Court on April 25 and from Rajshahi judge court on June 21, despite the withdrawal prayers.

THE INVESTIGATION
Apart from the judicial confessions of Jahangir, Salam and Nazmul, five other witnesses provided statements before magistrates and 38 others gave statements before police that proved the involvement of Mohiuddin, Salehi and the three with the murder, local police briefed high-ups in a letter.

Mohiuddin masterminded the murder apprehending damage to his career by Taher who investigated out 'plagiarism' in his (Mohiuddin) 10 research papers out of total 11, the court was told.

Salehi had close ties with Mohiuddin and he also wanted to get his friend Nizam Uddin, also a student of Mohiuddin, a teacher's job at Geology and Mining department, the IO said regarding Salehi's involvement.

The IO, however, seeking a property attachment order from a court on March 8 told that police have proofs that Salehi was directly involved in the murder. "He (Salehi) went into hiding to avoid arrest," said the IO in the prayer, adding that charges will be pressed against him.

The IO also produced the call list of Taher's telephone before court and said, Taher was killed sometimes between 10pm and 12 midnight on February 1 and Jahangir made a call to a student mess from Taher's phone at 2:11am.

Meanwhile, DB police recovered a knife, Taher's missing travel bag, and mobile phone following confessional statements of the three. Taher's ATM cards were also recovered following Mohiuddin's confessions.

But a revolver used in the murder, Taher's wallet and a mobile SIM were still to be located as the arrestees stated that these were taken by the absconding Salehi.

Prof Taher, a senior pro-BNP teacher went missing on February 1 night and his body was found on the morning of February 3 inside a sewer behind his campus quarters.